Octopus Overlords

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hasn’t hidden his fondness for foreign leaders. He has embraced them, tweeted at them, and sent them birthday wishes—all in an effort to make India a global player in international affairs. So when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he of the perfect coiffure, high-voltage smile, and beautiful family arrived in New Delhi this week for a state visit, it should have been a perfect photo-op. Instead, neither Modi nor any of his senior ministers showed up to receive the Trudeaus.

Trudeau has smiled his way through India, however, meeting with business executives, signing billions of dollars worth of business deals, posing for photographs with Bollywood actors, and donning Indian attire befitting his own Indian wedding reception. The Indians, for their part, have denied the Canadian prime minister is being snubbed (one unnamed official went as far as to call it “protocol”). But a snub it is—and the diplomatic brush-off has its roots in an Indian separatist movement from the 1980s and present-day Canadian domestic politics.

GreenGoo wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:04 pm Yeah. We know.

That came out snarky. It wasn't intended that way.

Holman wrote: ↑Thu Jun 07, 2018 9:31 pm Headline:
Doug Ford is new Premier of Ontario; Canadians forfeit superiority to Donald Trump.

Max Peck wrote: ↑Thu Jun 07, 2018 9:39 pm Technically, it should read "Ontarians forfeit superiority to Trump voters."

GreenGoo wrote: ↑Fri Jun 08, 2018 4:40 am Ontario is kind of used to being a cesspool.

On a separate note, how knew that when you go to war with something (trade or otherwise) they might get indignant about the whole thing.

At this point I'm starting to think Drumpf envies the intellect of a bag of hammers (doorknobs?).

Justin Trudeau's government his being shaken by his first major political scandal, which has led to two resignations form his cabinet.

The scandal stems from claims that Canadian officials inappropriately pressured a former justice minister to help a major construction company avoid a corruption trial.

Treasury Board President Jane Philpott, who was in charge of government spending, resigned on Monday and attacked the government for its handling of claims it intervened to protect a major construction firm.

She is the second Cabinet minister to resign, following former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, who is at the center of the scandal.
...
Philpott said in her resignation statement: "Sadly, I have lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised."
...
Wilson-Raybould was demoted from justice minister to the post of veteran affairs minister in January, before the scandal became public knowledge.

She resigned from Cabinet on February 12, by which time reports had started to emerged of the corruption allegations.

She did not outline her reasons for resigning in her resignation letter to Trudeau, but wrote that Canadians "must stand together for the values that Canada is built on, and which are the foundation for our future."

"Trudeau gave $600 million to the Clinton Foundation. The Clinton Foundation is part of child trafficking and child sacrifice, if you study it. It's in the pizzagate," he said.

"The PM, if he knows about the foundation, should he be in jail for that one? Also, he needs to pay back the $600 million plus his trips to the Canadians."

Canada's environment minister says she has been assigned a security detail because of abuse she has received both online and in person.

Catherine McKenna said in one recent incident a man in a car pulled up alongside her and her children, swore and called her a "climate Barbie".

In Canada, government ministers rarely need high levels of protection.

The move comes as environmental campaigners, particularly women, report increasing levels of abuse.

Climate change has become a major issue in Canada's federal election in October, with the two main parties taking opposing views on the subject.

Online abuse has been going on since she was elected, she added, but in recent months public confrontations have become worse.

She said she had received messages that included sexualised insults and threats against her family. In person she has been called an enemy, a traitor and a "communist piece of garbage".

"The vocal sexism and hateful comments that are directed to people who work on climate change is unacceptable," she told AFP news agency.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called a federal election for 21 October.

Opinion polls are indicating it will be a tough race for Mr Trudeau, who is seeking a second term in office.

The campaign is expected to focus on issues of affordability, the economy and climate issues.

hepcat wrote: ↑Thu Sep 19, 2019 12:59 pm Has Trudeau done anything since entering politics that would be considered following a racist agenda? Or even showing insensitivity to any race, gender or ideology?

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Thu Sep 19, 2019 4:26 pm

hepcat wrote: ↑Thu Sep 19, 2019 12:59 pm Has Trudeau done anything since entering politics that would be considered following a racist agenda? Or even showing insensitivity to any race, gender or ideology?

Doesn't matter. It's 2019. We've established the rules and he done broke 'em.

hepcat wrote: ↑Thu Sep 19, 2019 12:59 pm Has Trudeau done anything since entering politics that would be considered following a racist agenda? Or even showing insensitivity to any race, gender or ideology?

pr0ner wrote: ↑Thu Sep 19, 2019 4:34 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Thu Sep 19, 2019 4:26 pm

hepcat wrote: ↑Thu Sep 19, 2019 12:59 pm Has Trudeau done anything since entering politics that would be considered following a racist agenda? Or even showing insensitivity to any race, gender or ideology?

Doesn't matter. It's 2019. We've established the rules and he done broke 'em.

That doesn't seem to have hurt Democratic leadership here in Virginia. Northam is still governor and Herring is still AG.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Thu Sep 19, 2019 7:50 pm I was born in 69 and the only black face I ever saw was in the old black and white movies / tv shows.

Enough wrote: I grew up in the 70s-80s and never once saw black face, has anyone here even once seen it in the wild?

hepcat wrote: ↑Thu Sep 19, 2019 10:13 pm We should just assume everyone born before 2010 has a photo of them in blackface somewhere out there and move on.